Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Mae Salong

The history of Mae Salong is most interesting…

In 1949, Chinese Communist Party defeated Kuomintang (KMT), or Nationalist Party, in the civil war. Nationalist troops under the command of Chiang Kai-Shek retreated across the Formosa Strait to Taiwan. Nationalist armies abandoned in YunnanProvince headed south into Myanmar and later Thailand. One division, under command of General Duan Xi Wen, eventually settled in Mae Salong. Another division, led by General Lee Wen Huan, settled in Tam Ngop.

The Thai military agreed to let the KMT stay if they helped to suppress Communism, which they believe would become rife among the hill tribes at the time of Vietnam War. In return for their help, the KMT were allowed to control and tax the local opium trade. By 1967, almost 90% of opium hauled into Thailand was controlled by the KMT. The anti-communist, CIA-supported “lost army” of Chiang Kai-Shek had become the world’s leading drug cartel.

The area around Mae Salong was relatively lawless until 1980s. When Khun Sa, the opium warlord, retreated to Burma in early 1980s, the Thai Government finally began making progress in pacifying Mae Salong and the surrounding area. Opium production is now suppressed, having been replaced by new cash crops such as tea and Chinese herbs.

The main population of Mae Salong is made up of old KMT soldiers and their descendants, who speak the dialect of Yunnanese. Its surrounding area is dotted with hill tribe villages. Hill tribe villagers can be seen at the market in Mae Salong.

Mae Salong has been renamed Santikiri (“Hill of Peace”), but most people still refer to it by its old name.

Here we come, Mae Salong…

General Duan Xi Wen’s mausoleum…

Tea shop, Chinese style…

OTOP means “One Tambon One Product”. Tambon is an administrative area in Thailand. OTOP is the government’s initiative to encourage specialization. In Mae Salong the major product is tea.

The Thai script reminds us that this is Thailand, even though Mae Salong may come across as a Chinese village.